Late August Update Fishing around Australia Report

Howdy fisho’s! Despite the cold and damp winter weather keep your gear and tackle ready at a moment’s notice, because when-ever there’s a break in the weather there are a lot of fish to be caught. So get out into the shed and check the boat, clean your reels, check your traces. All it takes is some good timing and some luck to wait for the weather to clear; it’s just like fishing actually. Don’t go out into the choppy waters, not only is it a dangerous proposition but fishing is bound to be poor with the fish way below the waves, and it is easier to capsize or fall over board in high seas. When you’re not sure about the weather perhaps it would be best to stick to the shore and cast from the pier or rocks. Whilst on the Rocks, still be aware of large waves and riptides that may pull you out to sea, always wear a life jacket and if at all possible, never fish alone.

Here’s a few reports from out and about,

Northern Territory
In Darwin Fishing has been good both in the blue water and in the estuaries and billabongs. Around Darwin Harbour there has been an abundance of tuna and some large GT’s as well. The Tuna and GT’s are mostly biting on Marbou, Bucktail Jigs and small metal baitfish style lures, it’s best to feed into the wind for the best Tuna that Darwin Harbour can offer. Aside from Tuna and GT, a whole supporting cast of big fish are also in attendance including: Long tail Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Golden Trevally and Giant Herring,
In the Estuaries there are some Barra in the billabongs swimming about the weed beds, any success will be with snag less lures and soft plastics cast into the weed beds. In the Arnhem Land River system there are many threadfin, blue salmon, mangrove jack, golden snapper, black jewfish, Saratoga, archer fish and sooty grunter.

Queensland
In Noosaville the weather’s been quite rank, the low pressure area keeps the rain pouring and the seas high. When the weather lets up fishing will be very promising this winter. At double Island Point there have been fair numbers of cobia, rosy jobfish, and some pretty decent snapper. However if you want some serious snapper up to 5 kilos the place to be is Barwon Banks, in addition to the 5 kilo whopper snapper there are Moses perch, venus tusk fish, and sea bream. On the North Reef there are some sweet lip, pearl perch, moses perch, and the occasional snapper to be had. Massond’s Reef however has been reporting good hauls of maori cod, cobia, yellowtail kingfish and venus tusk fish. At sunshine reef there are a few cobia to be caught but there are some 8 kilo coral trout to test your rig there. If cobia’s your catch there have been schools swimming along Hall’s Reef on the bay side of the shark nets.
Onshore things are looking promising in Teewah Township on the north shore where greenbacks are getting stacked like cash using pilchard as bait.

New South Wales
In Newcastle the weather has had the anglers sitting at home dreaming of fishing and telling fishing stories, but when the weather lets up there’s sure to be some serious action on the blue water. Massive 120 kilo tuna will be making their way up the coast to Swansea Shelf which will prove to be some good big game fishing if the weather permits. Catherine Hill Bay has some kilo sized snapper and trevally biting occasionally, Doctor’s Reef off of Wybung Head has some 3 kilo morwong swimming around waiting to get caught. If salmon’s what you’re after they’re up to 3 kilos off of Blacksmith’s Beach the school of salmon have been biting vigorously on salted pilchards in the morning and dusk hours there are also some bream in the area and are best taken on tubeworms.